


A Child's Innocence

by Pandy334



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, I hate ao3 formatting, all might be well, and Max, au camp camp, but prob, child david, david is daniel's son, david pure bean, first time story on here, hooey, idk yet, oh my, save him, such language, too good for this world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2018-12-30 18:04:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 13,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12114228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pandy334/pseuds/Pandy334
Summary: It was true.  David didn’t have any friends his own age at all.  All the children at the church had already ascended at their parent’s request.  Daniel thought it very selfless of them, but he could not bear to part with his child just yet.  He ran his hand through his child’s hair, his bright red hair.  Bright red.  So, unlike his own. So, unclean.  His hand began to gradually get rougher in its movements and David began to wince.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is the first story that I am posting on here, so I hope you like it. David is my baby and I wanted to write about him<3 <3 <3 <3 This is an AU where David is the same age as Max and Daniel is his father (??????)

The car started with a roar, disturbing the silence of the sleepy forest. A small voice rang out over the disturbance.

“Ah hooey, Dad, why couldn’t we have stayed at the camper any longer?” David’s face formed a small pout, his lip sticking out, making his already chubby face look even chubbier. “I wanted to play with the other kids longer. We were going to play red rover!” Daniel just smiled and patted his son’s head.

“Language, son! Well, I’m sorry buddy, but you know how busy I am at this time of the year! And don’t forget, we have to go visit the church soon!” David just puffed out a breath and crossed his arms, but nodded his head anyway. He did know how busy his dad was. He went to multiple camps pretending to be a counselor. Apparently, a lot of the camps have horrible habits and his dad goes to camp to camp to camp to teach them how to take care of the children better. It was important work and it had to be done, but he wished he could stay at a camp long enough to make some friends. David turned his attention back to the road just as a small town came into view. It wasn’t very far from the camp that they had just come from, but the town was much more run down. Most of the places seemed very out of touch. As they passed the electrical store, there seemed to still be electronics from the early 70’s. 

“Okay, little man,” Daniel says as he rolls the car to a stop. “We need to find a good place to stay for the night and rest up. We have a huge day tomorrow.” Daniel’s smile grew to an unreasonable size as he cracked his neck to the side. David looked up confused at his father and asks, 

“What do you mean, dad? I thought we were done with camps for the summer.” Daniel just smiled more and pushed a newspaper into David’s hand. The headlines read in big bold leaders, camp counselor needed. 

“Well, Davey, I found a new job and I thought that we could stay at this camp a little bit longer than all the rest.” His eyes grew softer as he continued. “I know you want to make some more friends and I thought this was the perfect time to do it. We must go back to the church and start your homeschooling soon and it’s so hard to make friends when your home all the time. You need kids your own age to hang with. “It was true. David didn’t have any friends his own age at all. All the children at the church had already ascended at their parent’s request. Daniel thought it very selfless of them, but he could not bear to part with his child just yet. He ran his hand through his child’s hair, his bright red hair. 

Bright red. 

So, unlike his own. 

So, unclean. 

His hand began to gradually get rougher in its movements and David began to wince. 

“Dad! Ow!” He cried as his father pulled some hairs free from his head. Suddenly, Daniel seemed to come back to himself. He apologized, still seeming out of it 

“I’m sorry sport. I seem to have zoned out there. I was just thinking maybe we should dye your hair. It gets annoying, everyone questioning if I am really your dad or not. Curse that unfaithful mother of yours and her red hair!” David grabs his hair, protectively.

“No, dad! The last time you tried to do that, you used way too much bleach.” Daniel’s eye twitched at the memory as he opened up the car door. 

“Well, that’s all in the past now. Let’s get some sleep and then we can head on over to the camp in the morning.” They walked into the hotel, ready to rest up for a new day. As David lied in bed that night, his father counted the items for their camp visit. 

“Let’s see here. We have rat poison, bleach, knives, perfect! All I need to do now is get the rope ready. Davey is going to be so happy with this surprise I have planned!” As he laid in bed that night, his smile had never been bigger. He was so excited.


	2. Enter Camp Campbell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at camp Daniel and David are making themselves cozy in a brand-new tent.  
>  “I’m so excited dad! Do you think I’ll make any new friends here?” David was bouncing in his father’s lap as he worked the knots out of his son’s hair.   
> “Don’t worry sport. Daddy will make sure you find a fantastic friend and that he will be converted and one day maybe you can ascend together. David smiled at the idea and he jumped away from his father to go say their nightly prayers. He hoped he got the best friend the gods could send someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the nice comments! I'm so happy you like my story!! <3 This story is un-betaed and I am still getting used to the a03 format so I hope it is all good.

David woke up to the happy music his father played every morning. Daniel said it was the hymns of the church and should always play before you start your day, or the wrath of the gods would rain down upon you. David didn’t really understand it, but it made his dad happy and that made him happy. He stretched his arms above his head and let out a large yawn and then it dawned on him. They were visiting a new camp today! He ran across the hotel room into the bathroom, almost running Daniel over in his haste. Daniel let out a good-natured chuckle and followed his son into the small bathroom to make sure David didn’t skip anything important in his daily routine. 

“Don’t forget to say your prayer before you even think about going out that door, David. You don’t want all those terrible feeling from space getting into your head, do you?” David thought back on all the horrible stories his father told him about space. All the pitiful people of the world thought space was cool, but he knew the truth. Daniel said the demons that control space send down horrible thoughts and feelings to all those you do not ask the gods for forgiveness of their sins. Filled with sudden fear, David fell to his knees and said a quick prayer before running out to the car, breakfast bar in hand. 

“Come on dad!” Daniel laughed at his son’s antics and shook his head lovingly. As they piled into the car and started on their way, a single thought ran through his head. This ascension must be perfectly timed. Especially since they were going to be at this camp for a few days and not just for a few hours like usual, but looking at how happy his son is, it’ll will all be worth it. 20 minutes later they arrived at a small, run down looking camp. David’s giant smile fell into a forced grin. 

“Um,” He began, “Dad. I don’t think this camp is even running anymore.” As soon as the words left his mouth a woman burst from the front door, followed by a young man. Both seemed to be around the same age as Daniel. The male looked very rung out and ragged, while the woman seemed like she would fall asleep at any moment. Perfect.

“Hello, there! Welcome to Camp Campbell!” The young man smiled a tired smile and extended his hand for a shake. “How can we help you today?” Daniel shook the man’s hand, a wide smile on his face. 

“Well there, good sir, ain’t it just a splendid day?” His neck cracked, and his smile grew as he patted David’s hair. “My son here is so excited to join your camp. You see I am a camp inspector and we’ve been going from camp to camp to make sure everything is all perfect. Little Davey, here, is just so excited to spend a few days at a new camp. He hasn’t had much chance to make new friends, you see.” The councilor glanced down at David as he slightly hid behind his father’s leg. The man chuckled and crouched down to David’s eye level.

“Well hello there, Davey. My name is Jasper, I was just about to head out to town, but I’m sure Gwen here would be super happy to help you get settled in. Once you're done you can meet all the great kids staying here at Camp Campbell. Wouldn’t that be, tubular?” Jasper stood from his crouched position and motioned for Gwen to come over and she did so with a groan. 

“Hey Gwen, I’m still going to the, err the restaurant. You take care of the new guys okay?” Gwen nodded and ushered them both into the camp entrance. Unbeknownst to them, a small group of children snuck their way into the truck of Jasper’s car.

A few moments later, Jasper pulled his car into the bar parking lot. As he entered the bar, three children popped their heads out from the backseat.   
“How the F*** did Jasper not see us back here?” Max shouted. Neal ran his fingers through his red hair as he surveyed the area around him as Nikki bounced up to Max, slinging an arm around his shoulder.

“I’m more confused about how he didn’t notice we’ve carving a hole in the back of his trunk for days now.” She cackled as the group turned to see where Jasper had run off to. As they turned a small bar came into view and they strolled casually in through the door. The plan? Find some dirt on Jasper. That man was way too happy and he had to have something on him. They ran behind the first cabinet they saw and listened as Jasper set at a table talking to a red-haired waitress. 

“It’s been about ten years now.” The waitress appeared to have tears in her eyes.

“D*** guys, he made her cry.” Max pointed at the women Jasper was talking to. “What the crap did he do to her?” Jasper hugged the girl close. “Okay, maybe he didn’t make her cry.” He looked somewhat upset and yet relieved at the same time. 

“He,” She was cut off by a sharp gasp and a hard sob. “He would be ten years old today and my sister would be thirty.” 

Back at camp Daniel and David are making themselves cozy in a brand-new tent.

“I’m so excited dad! Do you think I’ll make any new friends here?” David was bouncing in his father’s lap as he worked the knots out of his son’s hair. 

“Don’t worry sport. Daddy will make sure you find a fantastic friend and that he will be converted and one day maybe you can ascend together. David smiled at the idea and he jumped away from his father to go say their nightly prayers. He hoped he got the best friend the gods could send someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave comments and kudos! They keep me super motivated and just make my day <3


	3. New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max, was it? He thought about the rope and sleeping medicine in his backpack. Maybe he found his son that new friend he promised?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy everyone likes this fic! It's gonna get a little creepy soon lol

Back in the bar, Jasper was hugging the red-headed woman tightly. Max and the gang, still hiding behind the cabinet, watch with rapt attention. Confusion was plain on their faces as they all wondered who this woman was to Jasper. 

“It’s okay, Nancy. Your sister wouldn’t want you to grieve like this for so long. You can remember her, and her son, but don’t forget to live your life. Why don’t you come with me back to Camp and we can have some of Quartermaster hot chocolate, err, it ugh, it’s pretty decent.” Nancy just shook her head gently. 

“I can’t. I have to stay here for my shift. Those bills won’t pay themselves you know.” She tried to force out a chuckle, running a shaky hand across her tear stained eyes. “You run back to that little camp of your as have yourself a grand old time.” Just as she turned to leave, a small snort was heard from behind the adults. 

“What a loser!” Jasper turned in time to see Max rolling on the floor, Nikki and Neil trying to hide behind the cabinet further."Way to go A**hole! Way to get the girl.” Jasper huffed and walked over to the children. 

“Kids, I have no idea how you got here, but it’s totally not rad. Gwen must be worried sick right now, what with you little dudes missing and everything.” Nikki jumped up from her hiding spot beside Neil to fling her arms around Jasper’s leg. 

“Hi, Jasper! We wanted to see where you go to relax all the time!” Jasper patted the head of his littlest fan and started to usher his campers out the door.  
“don’t think we aren’t gonna talk about this when we get back, little dudes.” The car ride back was slightly awkward, with Max trying his hardest to embarrass Jasper. Eventually, they made it back to the camp, though a commotion could be heard coming from the mess hall. Nearing closer, they could hear two new voices. 

“…And remember kids! All of those horrible emotions you have are from space, and you can send them back up to space with a little help and practice!” A tall, blond man was talking to the children, a small red-headed boy on his knee, listening attentively to his every word.

“Who the f*** are you?” Max asked with as much subtly as he could. A loud cracking noise was heard as Daniel turned his head towards the newest voice. 

“Well, hello there little man. That’s a mighty bad potty mouth you got there.” He said each word clearly and slowly, leaning closer to Max and running his fingers through Davey’s hair with a smile. “My dear boy, Davey, here doesn’t need to hear such language you see.” Max leaned away from the man fearfully. 

“Okay.” He said drawing out the word. Max slowly moved behind his friends and Jasper. Seeing this, the camp counsellor walk over to the newest person. Daniel stood, placing David on the floor with the other children. David beamed a brilliant smile at the idea of new friends. The two adult shook hands.

“The name is Daniel. It’s so pleasant to meet and it’s kind of you both to let me and my son live here for a few days while I make sure everything is up to date.” His unblinking eyes stared into Jasper’s as he spoke. “I’m sure nothing incriminating is going to pop anytime soon.” His neck cracked as he titled his head. “The children here are so lovely.” Sweat dripped down Jasper’s face at Daniel’s words.

“Well, me and Gwen run a pretty radical camp here, man. So, no worries about any of that.” He turned his attention to the children who were in the middle of introducing themselves to the newest camper. “You son seems to be making friends fast.” Daniel’s face seemed to fall a small amount as he too looked towards the children. 

“Davey? Why don’t you come over here, buddy?” Davey turned towards his father with a pout but went over to him anyway. As soon as Davey was in reach, Daniel picked him up and set him on his hip.

“Ah, hooey Dad. I want to go play.” Daniel just levels his son with a small glare and brings out a small cleaning wipe and started wiping his face off. “Watch that language, oh child of mine. Let’s just wipe all that grim off your face.” Jasper’s face morphed into one of confusion as he saw not a single spot of dirt on the child’s face or clothes. Just as Daniel finishes cleaning up Davey, Neal or space kid as he liked to be called, skipped his over to the father and son. 

“Howdy-doo, new kid, your so clean now!” As he said this, he patted David’s leg gently to get his attention. “You must really hate germs!” The wipe was soon replaced and scrubbed much more roughly down his leg and soon David has briskly whisked away. 

“Oh, dear Zeemug,” Daniel whispered into David’s hair. “That child is horrible. Space follows him around.” David just sighed, too used to his father’s antics. Max slowly crept closer to the new child, trying to get a view of what he looked like, pushing Space Kid out of the way to do so. Davey looked down and caught his eye and beamed. He wiggled his way out of his father’s arms and ran to talk to Max. As they talked, Daniel watched, pretending to listen as Gwen and Jasper explained how things ran at camp. He observed how his son seemed so relaxed with this new child. Max, was it? He thought about the rope and sleeping medicine in his backpack. Maybe he found his son that new friend he promised?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave kudos and comments! Thank you lovelies. <3


	4. You look familiar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He just, kinda looked like my friend and her family.” Daniel cracked his neck and looked at his son as he talked the ear off his soon to be brother. Yes. Brother. Perfect. His Davey will never have to be alone again. Of course, that attitude and potty mouth will have to be taken care of. He turned his gaze towards the councillor who still prattled on and on. This man was going to be a problem. He just couldn’t wait to kill him and everyone in this camp. Just a few more days. His Davey deserved some fun times and he was not about to ruin that. He could grin and bear this. For a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait lol. College is killer <3

During dinner that night Daniel set with Davey and walked him through a new prayer for Zeemug. They had to bless their dinner before they could even think about consuming it. They usually say a prayer for every dinner, but the food at this particular camp was so terrible looking, Daniel wanted to make sure it was extra safe. That meant saying a very special prayer. 

“Now repeat after me, Davey, but use your own name,” Daniel said as he rested his head on his child’s head. “I, Daniel, offer up this sacrifice to the almighty Zeemug and for it, I humbly ask to receive nourishment from this poison.” As he said this he carved a complicate looking symbol into a small chunk of wood before ripping a hair from his head and tying it to the rock. Davey followed his father’s instructions, albeit much more messily. From the table, across from them, Max sat staring at the father and son due. He had seen the strange ritual that the two did and was very concerned. He turned his head to the councillor sitting close by him and his friends and tugged on her sleeve.

“Hey, Gwen. What the H*** are those two doing over there? It looks like some kind of weird voodoo thing or something.” Gwen blinked lazily as she turned her head away from her romance novel. Some weird book about two werewolves in love or something like that. 

“So? Maybe they just have a weird religion or something? Dude, don’t be a little s***.” She turned back to her book and Max huffed.

“Stay here, guys. I’m going to investigate.” Nikki and Neil nodded as they went back to their mash potatoes and peas. Max made his way over to where Daniel and Davey were sitting. By the time he got over to them, they were done with whatever weird stuff they were doing. Daniel looked down as Max sauntered over to them.

“Well, hello there little one. What can I and my boy do for you this fine night?” His smile stretched unnaturally over his face, almost reaching his ears themselves. Max reared back a small bit, genuinely freaked out. ‘Okay,” he thought. ‘This guy is a class A freak.’ Before he could insult the man, Davey peered over at him with a small smile. 

“Hi,” Davey said, shyly. “My name’s Davey. What’s yours? Can we be friends? If so what’s your favorite color?” Davey rattled off question after question to Max, barely pausing to breath. Max reeled back from the barrage of questions. It didn’t escape his notice that Daniel was still staring at him with that weird smile of his. 

“ugh, okay, weirdo. My name is Max. Chill out and maybe we can be friends and how is it the f*** any of your business what my favorite color is?” Max gave a small, evil grin hoping that he had hurt the young redhead's feelings. Instead, however, the object of his wrath only laughed.

“You’re funny!” Davey turned to father and pleaded with him for a chance to play with his new, found friend. Daniel smiled gently, though the menacing glint still remained in his eyes.

“Okay, honey, but he has to sit here. Neither of you are done eating yet. Don’t you want to grow up big and strong like me and Zeemug?” Max started at Daniel as though had grown a second and even third head.

“Like you and who now?” He asked as Davey pulled him towards the bench. Daniel began shuffling more and more food on Max’s plate as Davey quickly explained who and what a Zeemug was.

“Zeemug is the creator of the entire universe! He takes the negative emotions from children and adults and gives them eternal bliss. Papa says it’s only after ascension though. Although, I’m not really sure what ascension means.” He giggled as though he told a fantastic joke. Max decided he did NOT want to know what ascension was. He slowly dug into the nasty mashed potatoes on his plate and started a new topic of conversation.

“So, where are guys from, cause let me tell you a**holes, I’ve never seen anyone like you guys.” Daniel’s eye twitched at the potty-mouthed words. He ran his hand down Davey’s back in a way that looked like a fatherly pat on the back, but to Max, it seemed much more sinister. Davey didn’t seem to think so. It looked like this was a regular occurrence with his father. He just looked up at Daniel and preened under the attention. Max flinched as Daniel’s hand settled on his head, rubbing his hair much like he had done to Davey’s earlier that day.

“Well, Max.” Daniel started, his smile growing menacing. “If you would like. We can meet in private and Davey here can show you the super, duper prayers for Zeemug. Well, we would be just so pleased to show you.” A shudder ran down Max’s spine as he swatted Daniel’s hand away. Just as he was about to respond, Jasper walked over to the trio. He wore concerned, strained smile and seemed to be rushing over as fast as he could. He must have noticed how freaked out Max looked. 

“Howdy, Max. Can you help me with some stuff right quick? A whole lot of campers left their trays on the table and I could sure use some help cleaning up.” He ushered Max to the farthest dirty table and told him to start cleaning up. When he was sure Max wasn’t going to bolt, he made his way back over to the father and son pair. 

“Sorry about that fellas, but we like to keep the campers a little busy here and cleaning is a great pass time and teaches great lessons!” He cheery demeanour seemed to return as he went on and on about camp routines and what not. Suddenly, he stopped talking and stared at Davey in confusion.

“You look awfully familiar, son.” The smile fell from Daniel’s face but was quickly replaced. He pushed Davey towards the direction of Max.

“Go help your new friend, honey. The grownups have to talk.” He turned towards Jasper. “Please don’t mention his looks anymore. Davey lost his mother at a very young age and he looks so much like her. He’s very sensitive about it.” Jasper swallowed thickly and nodded his head. Something was very off about this man. 

“Um, no worries here man. We strive to make the kids as comfortable as possible. He just, kinda looked like my friend and her family.” Daniel cracked his neck and looked at his son as he talked the ear off his soon to be brother. Yes. Brother. Perfect. His Davey will never have to be alone again. Of course, that attitude and potty mouth will have to be taken care of. He turned his gaze towards the councillor who still prattled on and on. This man was going to be a problem. He just couldn’t wait to kill him and everyone in this camp. Just a few more days. His Davey deserved some fun times and he was not about to ruin that. He could grin and bear this. For a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it didn't sound to rushed lol I don't have a beta. Don't forget to leave kudos and comments. I always try to respond!


	5. A new child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He reached over, into the back seat, and patted his new child’s fluffy hair. He grabbed a large handful of his hair and pulled slightly until he let out a high pitched whine in his drug-induced sleep. Maybe this one. Maybe he would NEVER have to let Davey ascend until he HAD to. Maybe he could let Max ascend when the time came.
> 
> After all, he thought pulling harder, he couldn’t live without his Davey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took so long and that is a smidge shorter than normal. I have a very busy schedule this session in college lol. waaaa! Real life keeps getting in my waaaay. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Also, special thanks to Trustyart! They made me fan art! Here is the link to it! It's awesome <3 http://trusty-tnoyc.tumblr.com/post/166158789067/an-inspo-and-gift-for-and-by

Max woke up with a small groan. He was so tired and for some reason, he just didn’t feel very well today. He heard the flap of his tent being opened and squinted his eyes at the harsh light being filtered in.

“Max?” Jasper walked over to the sick child and laid a hand atop his head. “Are you okay? You feel warm. Maybe you should stay in the tents for today. I’ll run to town and get you some medicine.” Jasper left with one last glance over to Max. He bit his nails as he went to find Gwen. He needed to tell her what he was doing, especially with Daniel here to watch over the camp protocols. He found Gwen watching rotten, trashy television on her new Ipad and told her what he was going to do. Back in Max’s tent, the poor boy was still laying in his bed groaning. Once again, he heard his tent being opened, this time though it was Davey. The small read head had a very worried look on his small face.

“Hi, Max.” He waved awkwardly at his new friend. It didn’t seem like he knew how to handle people being sick very well. “Um, well, my dad said you weren’t feeling very good. I’m sorry I didn’t come any sooner. I was playing pretend with Naris, at least I think that is her name.” Max was very confused.

“How the f*** does your dad know I’m sick? I just started feeling bad this morning and it’s barely nine o’clock.” This was very worrying. He already had a horrible feeling about Daniel and what Davey was saying wasn’t helping his opinion on him whatsoever. 

“Well, Dad said that you probably wouldn’t be feeling good this morning for some reason and that I should come give you this coffee to make you feel better.” Davey held up a small percaline cup filled to the brim with the blackest of coffee. If Max was feeling better he would have thought that coffee was a pretty weird thing to give someone if they weren’t feeling good, but he was so groggy and just wanted to feel better so he took the offered cup. He drank the coffee straight down, hoping it would wake him up just a little bit. Strangely, he didn’t feel any more awake than before. In fact, he felt even more tired than before. He looked up to see tears pouring down Davey’s face and realized that somehow he had fallen down off his bed without realizing it. Man, he was tired. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. He felt Davey’s arms hugging him and tried to push him off, but he was way too weak. Before he knew it, a much larger pair of arms were picking him up from the ground and with that, he fell into a deep sleep.

Daniel looked down at his new son. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. He was so happy! Poor Davey though. He looked so scared and confused. He patted his son on the hair and righted Max in his arms better. 

“Okay, Davey. I’m going to put you and Max in the car and he is going to come with us back to the compound. We can fix what’s wrong with him there. He settled his two sons into the back seat and told Davey to try to get some sleep to calm his nerves. Once that was situated he made his way towards the mess hall. He began mixing a powerful, but fast-acting poison. It boiled and bubbled as he stirred it. Soon he had enough for the entire camp, the councillors included. Then he remembered how Jasper had left to go get medicine for Max. Oh, well. It would be more interesting that way. He would be long gone with his sons before Jasper returned and he had no proof that Daniel had ever been at the camp. He had signed no paperwork, taken no pictures. This camp had terrible work habits and it suited his needs just fine.

At lunch, he poured everyone their cups and watched as one by one the children and adults fell. Some might survive. It had happened before and it could very well happen again. No matter. He had no time to make sure all of them were dead and even if one or two did survive, no one would believe them. The compound would make sure of that. He cracked his neck as he made his way back to his children. Both of them had fallen asleep and they were so adorable! He wished he had found Max when the same time he had found Davey. He showed all the signs of an abusive home and no child deserved that. They were innocent and deserved to ascend peacefully. He reached over, into the back seat, and patted his new child’s fluffy hair. He grabbed a large handful of his hair and pulled slightly until he let out a high pitched whine in his drug-induced sleep. Maybe this one. Maybe he would NEVER have to let Davey ascend until he HAD to. Maybe he could let Max ascend when the time came.

After all, he thought pulling harder, he couldn’t live without his Davey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'll try to get the next one out soon! If there were any spelling errors that is because this does not have a beta so just me lol. Don't forget to leave kudos and comments! I try to answer as much as I can


	6. A new home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Okay, kiddos. Daddy finally finished all that annoying paperwork and such. It’s time to go home!” He lifted Max and set him on his feet before picking up Davey. Max wobbled in place for a little bit before trying to punch and kick every area of Daniel that he could. Daniel just laughed and pushed him away with ease. They walked over to a large church-like building in the center of the compound and Daniel opened the door with a flourish, still holding Davey in his arms. 
> 
> “Welcome to your new home Max!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update and this is so short guys. OMG college is so exhausting and it takes forever to find time to write lol.

Max woke up to the sound of a car’s radio. Classical music filled the space around him. He tried to sit up, only to realize too late, that his arms were tied tight against his chest. A wool blanket draped over him to look less conspicuous. His movement must have attracted attention because Daniel made a happy noise before pulling the car to a stop.  
“Well, wakey wakey little man. How did you sleep, hon?” He spoke to him as though he was his own son, and that disturbed him terribly. Max flinched as Daniel reached over and set him up in his seat.

“There we go, buddy. Now you can look out the window, while we drive to the compound.” Sweat poured down Max’s face as he tried to scoot away from the psycho driving the car. He looked over to his left, one last act of defiance, and saw Davey asleep. Actually, on closer inspection, Davey seemed to be under. His breathing was shallow and tremors rocked his body and the putrid smell of vomit filled the car. Max saw the patches of vomit on Davey’s shirt and then felt the cold wetness that old of vomit on his own clothes. He swivelled his head side to side, trying to shake the stuffy, sleepy feel out of his head. Crap. He had been drugged too. Everything sounded far away and muffled the longer he listened. He just wanted to sleep longer. The sound of the car door opening and closing sounded and Max jumped.

“Oki doki, kiddo,” Daniel said. “We are almost to the compound, you can see the entrance right over there. I just want to let you know a few things.” As he talked, he slowly and gently picked up Davey and cradled him to his chest, a tender look on his face. “You see, my son needs a friend. He’s always wanted one, but I thought why not give him a brother instead!” His face darkened as he continued, his grip on Davey tightening. “And when the time comes, it won’t be my baby that get’s ascended.” A smile slowly grew on his face as he spoke his next words. “In fact, you are gonna be the one to ascend.” 

Max eyes grew wide at Daniel’s words. He was increasingly getting worried for Davey too. Daniel’s grip on him kept getting tighter and tighter. If he kept that up, Davey was gonna start to bleed. Eventually, Daniel snapped out of whatever trance he was in and carried Davey to a small crate looking box and slowly lowered Davey in. After he was done, he made his way back over to Max and did the same to him. 

“Now, you’re gonna stay here for a while and your gonna stay quiet.” He raised a sharp, jagged knife to Max’s throat. “Right?” Max scowled, but the knife cutting into his neck was a pretty decent form of persuading him. He nodded his head the best he could and Daniel smiled. The darkness enveloped him as the lid closed above him.

He felt the box being lifted and shifted as he sat in the darkness. As the boxed shifted and swayed, Max did too. On one hard shift, Davey slammed into Max. Eventually, Max was able to wiggle his arms free of the ropes binding him and reached over to hold Davey to him. He was worried about the other boy, but also, he just wanted the small amount of comfort he got from holding another human tight. 

Twenty minutes pass by before the lid was finally opened and Daniel poked his head in. 

“Okay, kiddos. Daddy finally finished all that annoying paperwork and such. It’s time to go home!” He lifted Max and set him on his feet before picking up Davey. Max wobbled in place for a little bit before trying to punch and kick every area of Daniel that he could. Daniel just laughed and pushed him away with ease. They walked over to a large church-like building in the center of the compound and Daniel opened the door with a flourish, still holding Davey in his arms. 

“Welcome to your new home Max!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos and fanart and everything guys! Also, I don't know anything about drugs so I had to look up drug effects so if I got anything wrong I am so sorry lol. Don't forget to leave kudos and such guys!!!


	7. The news

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Listen, you idiots. My boy is dead. His friends are dead and I blame this stupid camp. But the councillor B**** is also dead. If you were here, well, maybe no one would be alive. No one would have been here to call us and then those other three brats would also be dead. What I’m trying to say is it’s not your fault. “One lone tear fell. “I just want the sob who killed my boy and I want him to suffer worse then he made my boy suffer.” After saying this, she walked back over to her child’s body. In a rare moment of pity, the cops in charge of her unlocked her arms. She flung herself to her boy, holding him close to her breast. It was heartbreaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I was gone for a while guys, I got super sick with an ear infection and I couldn't write. I was so dizzy I had to be helped back to my dorms by the security! I'm feeling a lot better of now. I hope you guys enjoy the story. Also I wanted to let you guys know I am a senior in college so there might be times when I don't update for a while lol

The compound was huge. Men and women, all dressed in white, wandered around the place. Daniel leads the boys over to a cosy looking house and manoeuvred the door open. Once it was open he shoved Max through the door before quickly closing the door behind himself. He had a lot of explaining to do to the highest priest. It was considered a high offence to bring an outsider to the compound. Who knows how they can mess everything up if they ever were to escape? Yet, Daniel was prepared to face the consequences. Not many people knew it, but there was a special rule in the compound. If you found yourself attach to someone you were meant to ascend, you can substitute them for another if you do a series of retributions. He would have to carve many, many verses into his arm. In the corner of his eye, he could see Max trying to sneak away into the back of the house. As gently as he could, Daniel sat Davey on the couch.

“Okay, little buddy.” His voice came out dark and eerie. “We have a few rules to go over during your stay here.” Daniel cracked his neck and slowly made his way over to Max hiding spot inside the closet. He smirked to himself. The stupid kid. Did the child actually think he could hide from him? Well, no one could really blame him. This house might look big from the outside, but that was really just the multiple prayer rooms. There was no back door. No places to hid. Max was gonna be here for a long, long time. Well, until it’s time for ascension. He flung the door open to see a shivering, glaring Max pushed up against the back of the closet. His dark hair tangled in cobwebs and hidden by the coattails.  
“Come on Max. You don’t wanna leave Davey all alone out here, do you?” Max’s head whipped up at that. “I have to leave and who knows who will come in here while I’m out. We have no locks on the door after all. Anyone could come in and hurt him. You know, not everyone here is so happy that I have a son that I have not ascended yet.” He sighed with a flourish. “It’s so hard to raise a child this day and age. Max’s eyes filled with tears. He didn’t want anything to happen to the only one where he could possibly sympathize with.   
“Okay, you a**hole. I’ll stay, but only because I can’t see any way out of this S***hole.” Daniel smiled and moved aside so Max could move to where David was sleeping. “Why is he still sleeping?” Max asked as he poked David’s face. Suddenly he felt himself being lifted up off the floor. He screamed and flailed, trying to fling himself out of Daniel’s arms. Daniel’s arm came around, holding him close, like a small child. A single hand patted his fluffy hair lovingly. The patting slowly became harsh. Much like how he would when he ran his hands through Davey’s hair, but this time when it got painful he didn’t stop. Max’s hair came out in chunks in Daniel’s hand as tears poured down Max’s eyes. After a while, Daniel stopped hurting Max and set him down beside the sleeping David. 

“Oh,” He started, “By the way. I lied about the locks on the doors.” He smiled a smile much too large for his own face and exited the house. Max heard the click of the door lock being turned and shoved his face into his arms. He didn’t know what to do with himself. So, he decided, there was nothing to do but sit and wait for Davey to wake up.

Back at the camp, a lone councillor cries over the dead bodies he found after coming back from his town trip. Jasper knelt in the grass over the body of Preston. He had already called the cops and he hoped that they got there soon. He didn’t want to be alone with the bodies any longer then he had to. In the corner of his eye, he saw a small movement. Down where Nikki, Neal and Space kid laid in a small heap on the ground. Each of the three children had only eaten a small bite of food, too distracted by the new kid and councillor to eat anymore. Each child in the pile groaned and twitched. Jasper ran over to them, reaching them just when the ambulance and police cars arrived. He held Nikki’s limp hand as one kid after the other was pronounced dead. When the body count was done, the ambulance workers told him every single person, but three children had been killed. Neal, Nikki and space kid were alive but very sick. They would be in the hospital for a while. 

The parents of the children came to see the bodies of their children. Each one cried and screamed at the news and many blamed Jasper for leaving. One parent, though, walked across the field and up to him. Nerf’s mother stood before him. Her hands cuffed behind her back. Tears filled her eyes, but none fell. She was a very strong woman. Much stronger then Jasper, whose tears fell like waterfalls down his cheeks.

 

“Listen, you idiots. My boy is dead. His friends are dead and I blame this stupid camp. But the councillor B**** is also dead. If you were here, well, maybe no one would be alive. No one would have been here to call us and then those other three brats would also be dead. What I’m trying to say is it’s not your fault. “One lone tear fell. “I just want the sob who killed my boy and I want him to suffer worse then he made my boy suffer.” After saying this, she walked back over to her child’s body. In a rare moment of pity, the cops in charge of her unlocked her arms. She flung herself to her boy, holding him close to her breast. It was heartbreaking. 

Jasper sat on the cold dirt, a shock blanket wrapped around him. He watched the parents cry numbly. In the distance, he heard a shout. He whipped his head around to see Nancy running up to him. She flung herself at him and they both fell to the ground, sobbing. At least he had someone to feel numb with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter guys! Don't forget to leave a kudos and a comment!!!


	8. Updateh

Hi guys. Sadly, because of the holidays, I can't update this week by I'll try to next week. Sorry for all the delays. Just hitting that busy season lol


	9. A brand new brother and a new set of rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Now,” Daniel said, sliding the dagger back where it came from. “Where should we start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. As I said, I am a senior in art college and I had so much to do, class, internship, I started allergy shots, my phone broke, internship and not to mention the holidays. I think I am going to start a schedule of every two weeks I will update unless there is a holiday. (American Holiday that is.)

Davey woke up with a small yawn and rubbed his head. His papa must have used some medicine to help him sleep again. He used to have so much trouble sleeping at night. His papa was so nice, helping him get to sleep when he can’t. Though it’s funny. He didn’t remember ever actually falling asleep, or even getting sleepy. Oh, well. His papa probably just thought he needed a nice long nap. He looked around his surrounding to find that they had made it back home and he was sitting on his favourite couch. He put his hand down and came into contact with something fluffy. He jumped little ways into the air before looking down to see what it was. What is was surprised him completely!   
“Max!” Davey beamed a large smile at his friend. “Did you come to live with us? That hasn’t happened in a while.” Max wiped his eyes before his friend could see him cry and levelled him with a stare.

“The F*** you mean? He’s kidnapped other kids before me?” Davey’s smile fell at Max’s words. His papa would never, ever kidnap a child! And he told Max just as much.  
“He probably just wants to help you ascend one day. Ascending is the greatest thing in the entire world!” He threw his arms up in joy, but once again his smile on his face. “Papa says I won’t be able to ascend. He said that I have a very special mission here on earth and I can’t go yet.” Max eyes Davey critically. The kid had to be crazy. Or at least he had the worst version of Stockholm syndrome that he had ever seen. 

“Okay.” Max drew the word out as he looked around the house. Now that Davey was awake, maybe he could explore the house and find a way out. But first. “Wait, wait you said there were other kids? Where did they end up?” He was really freaking out on the inside and he needed answers on what was going to happen to him. Now! Davey smiled wide once more and ran over to the fireplace near the fall wall. He grabbed four frames of the top and handed them to Max.

“Here are the kids he helped ascend. Look how happy they look! “ Max looked on with horror at the pictures. Each one showed Davey at different ages beside an obviously dead child the same age, both dressed head to two in white. “He put them to sleep with some special medicine that he created. He said that they would wake up in a brand-new body and be in paradise!” The children in the photos were laid out on a bed of roses and babies breath all the while a small Davey sat beside them with a giant, toothy smile. “I used to hang out with these kids all the time, but they have to be ascended. I can’t be selfish. Maybe me and you can be friends longer than those guys? You can help me when I grow up?” He looked so hopeful as he hugged Max to himself. “It gets pretty lonely here. Max pushed his way out of Davey’s arms. The kid was wackadoo. How could he not realize what his dad was doing? Maybe he could use his naivety to his advantage.

“Hey, Davey. Did you get anything fun to do around here? Maybe you can show me around.” He highly doubted that he was going to get out of the house anytime soon, but at least he can look around and get to know his surroundings. If the smile Davey was wearing was anything to go by, he was very excited to give a tour of his home. Max turned towards the hallway door before saying, “Well, lead the way, man.” Davey grabbed his arm and lead him into the first room on the right. After being shown the kitchen, with all the knife drawers locked tight and the living room, without even a vase or lamp to use as a weapon, Max gave up trying to find anything useful. Eventually, Davey brought them to a small room with a white door that said David in bright green words. It was next to another room that Max guessed was Daniel’s. The dude didn’t seem to like letting Davey out of his sight at all. Davey opened the door to what could only be his bedroom and with a flourish, invited Max in to view it. Surprisingly, it didn’t have that much stuff in it. A few books on a light brown bookshelf, a few old looking board games set up on a play table, a game of marbles half-forgotten on the floor, a large wardrobe and small white bed with green and yellow sheets and pillows. On top, the bed set a very familiar sight. 

“Mr Honey Nuts!” The little-stuffed animal set quietly atop the bed almost the exact way he had left him at camp. The only difference being a small blue ribbon tied to look like a present’s bow. A tag was attached to the ribbon. Max ran to the bed to hug his friend and read the tag. It read in big bold letters. To Max. A little present to make you feel at home here. David needs you to be happy. You’re gonna be happy, right? Don’t forget. I can always get Davey a NEW and BETTER big brother to play with. The note ended with a small winking face drawn on. Rage filled Max as he ripped the ribbon from his beloved friend and prepared to rip it to shreds, but as he lifted it he noticed something written on the back in much smaller print. P.S You will be sharing a room with Davey for now. Don’t try anything funny. Davey noticed his new brother’s rage and went to ask what the note said, but before he could the front door slammed shut.

“Daddy!” Davey exclaimed as he ran back to the living room to greet his father. Max followed behind him at a much slower pace. When he entered the room, he was greeted with the scene of Daniel lifting Davey into his arms and kissing his face all over. Davey’s giggles filled the room. One could almost mistake them for another ordinary family with an overly loving father and carefree son. Max was not s easily fooled. Daniel must have sensed him staring because he turned towards him, still hugging Davey. His none blinking eyes stared into Max’s soul as another smile formed on his face. 

“Sit down Max. We have a lot of rules to go over.” He pointed towards a small, uncomfortable looking chair beside a large, fluffy chair before sitting himself down, Davey still in his lap. The way he carried Davey around like a little dog was disturbing. 

“I’m not sitting in that s*** chair, you cultist. And I don’t have to listen to a thing you say.” His words were brave, but as he spoke them, he held tighter and tighter to his stuffed animal. Hugging his friend seemed to calm his shaking hands. Daniel did not seem to like his words and while his son was distracted with a small toy Daniel had brought him, he brought a small, then dagger out of his back pocket. Max’s eyes widened as he brought the dagger close to the top of Davey’s head. The implications were clear. If Max did not comply, Davey would be hurt. With a defeated huff, Max sat on the uncomfortable chair.

“Now,” Daniel said, sliding the dagger back where it came from. “Where should we start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, don't forget to leave kudos and comments! I love hearing from everybody!! ANd thanks so much to everyone who has already commented. It makes me so happy <3


	10. Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> update. I'm not dead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. I just wanted to let you know I'm not dead lol. I'm having a bit of writer's block. While I fight that, I wanted to give you a preview of my new chapter. I'm trying to figure out what I want to do next in the story. SO hopefully I will have the next chapter up by the weekend

The list of rules was endless. Every other rule was just another form of don’t hurt David by doing this thing. The other rules were things such as Don’t go outside, do whatever Daniel said, help with all the chores and always do what David wants. David, David, David! That’s apparently all the d****bag cared about. When Daniel was finally done explaining all the rules, he turned to Davey.  
“Go take your little friend up to your room and play a game.” He placed his hand on Davey’s back, pushing him towards the stairs. “I have to go visit our other little guest.” The children made their way up their shared room, one at a much slower pace than the other. Once he made sure that both children were safely inside the room he turned towards the bookshelf. A bright blue book set neatly upon the shelf and Daniel pulled it down, opening a secret door hidden behind the shelf. He knew it was cliché, but he enjoyed it, greatly. After lighting his cell-phone flashlight, he descended the stair case, a smile deforming his face. This particular friend was very hard to take care of.   
“How are doing today?” Daniel asked his friend as he entered the room. Inside the dark, dank room set an old man tied to a rather small chair. The man kept a bored, indifferent face on, his hooked hand clawing at the wooden chair, small slivers of wood sitting at his feet. “I hope you had fun, while I was away.”


	11. Don't go out there

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Say, Davey? How about we get out of this dump heap? Just you and me?” Davey looked horrified at the question and quickly shook his head back in forth.   
> “We can’t leave!” He crossed his arms over his chest before hugging his own stuffed platypus tightly to his chest. “Papa said there are really bad men out there. Bad men who will do bad stuff to us if we leave.” Max rolled his eyes but steeled his nerves. He, too, feared Daniel even though he didn’t want to admit it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay on this chapter guys! I had a major case of writer's block lol but hey! Now I'm back. I really hope you guys like this chapter :D

The list of rules was endless. Every other rule was just another form of don’t hurt David by doing this thing. The other rules were things such as Don’t go outside, do whatever Daniel said, help with all the chores and always do what David wants. David, David, David! That’s apparently all the d****bag cared about. When Daniel was finally done explaining all the rules, he turned to Davey.

“Go take your little friend up to your room and play a game.” He placed his hand on Davey’s back, pushing him towards the stairs. “I have to go visit our other little guest.” The children made their way up their shared room, one at a much slower pace than the other. Once he made sure that both children were safely inside the room he turned towards the bookshelf. A bright blue book set neatly on the shelf and Daniel pulled it down, opening a secret door hidden behind the shelf. He knew it was cliché, but he enjoyed it, greatly. After lighting his cell-phone flashlight, he descended the staircase, a smile deforming his face. This particular friend was very hard to take care of.

“How are doing today?” Daniel asked his friend as he entered the room. Inside the dark, dank room set an old man tied to a rather small chair. The man kept a bored, indifferent face on, his hooked hand clawing at the wooden chair, small slivers of wood sitting at his feet. “I hope you had fun, while I was away.” Daniel set his candle down on a small table and went about collecting his supplies. A sharp knife, a hot rod, and many other supplies were sitting near the old man. Daniel trusty knife awaited, held in his dominant hand. He tossed it back and forth as he circled his captive. 

The old man let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. In a gruff voice, a spoke, “Can we get this over with? I have to go perform a ritual.” Eye twitching, Daniel brought the knife down hard on the old man’s hand. The only signal that he felt any pain at all was a small grimace. He forced the knife back out of the hand, turning it as he does.   
“Tell me, old man. How do you keep coming back to life? I have killed you in so many ways and yet, no matter what I do you keep coming back to life.” He forced the man’s head back by the hair. “If you don’t talk, well, I guess we are gonna be here for a long while, hmm?” 

Upstairs, the children both sit atop the bed, Davey holding a small deck of cards in his hand.

“Let’s play a game!” Davey was so excited! He finally had a new friend to play with. Max, on the other hand, couldn’t be more bored. He smacked his face into his teddy bear’s fur repeatedly before asking, what seemed to him, an obvious question. 

“And, what game would that be dumba**? In case you haven’t noticed, there are only two of us.” Davey looked downhearted for a moment before reaching under his bed and bringing out an old, beat up board game. The words MONOPOLY stood out in bright, red colors. Max groaned loudly. He was going to die of boredom. Suddenly, he got an idea.

“Say, Davey? How about we get out of this dump heap? Just you and me?” Davey looked horrified at the question and quickly shook his head back in forth.

“We can’t leave!” He crossed his arms over his chest before hugging his own stuffed platypus tightly to his chest. “Papa said there are really bad men out there. Bad men who will do bad stuff to us if we leave.” Max rolled his eyes but steeled his nerves. He, too, feared Daniel even though he didn’t want to admit it. 

“What if I promised that we wouldn’t get hurt, huh?” Upon seeing David’s frown deepening, he continued in a hurried voice. “You can’t stay in here forever, right? You’re gonna have to leave one day.” He was desperately grasping at straws. He wasn’t even sure if Davey was sensitive about or interested in anything that he was suggesting, but judging by the look on his face, it was working. It took a few minutes, but Davey finally looks back at him and gave a small nod.

“Okay, but we have to be fast. Maybe I can show you where I and Daddy like to hang out a play?” Max nodded jerkily. He just wanted to get out of the stupid house as fast as he could. Maybe he could ditch the kid along the way. Or maybe get him to a less crazy parent? He figured it out when the time came. He followed Davey down the stairs and out the front door. Apparently, Daniel kept a spare key under the couch in case of emergencies. Thank God for small miracles! They both snuck out the door as quietly as they could, flinching at every creak the floor made. Eventually, they were out and Davey pointed to a large clearing not too far from the house. It was perfect! It set right in the middle of the little compound and a small playground with a lookout tower was placed in the center. Max pointed at it.

“Hey, David. Let’s go over and play on that thing.” He didn’t give the other boy a chance to answer before he was dragging him by the arm and forcing him to climb the ladder. Once both boys were safely inside the little tower, Max ran to the side to inspect the town. “Hey! Why the crap is this place surrounded by giant a** walls?” His hopes were crumbling around him. There was no way out of this h***hole. 

“Well,” Davey started as he nervously looked around. “It’s for our own protection and it makes for better cover. They have a really, really good artist working for them and she painted the side to look like a bunch of really thick trees. She even went as far as to hang a sign on an ACTUAL tree that said private property.” Max smacked his head against the wooden walls of the tower and groaned. He was never getting out of here. What’s worse is that he is stuck her playing big brother to Davey. 

“Um, Max?” Davey was still looking around, more nervous than before. “Can we leave now? I wanna go home. I keep hearing weird noises.”

“What the f*** are you talking about? I don’t hear anything.” Just as he spoke those words, a thump rang out and a man stuck his head in through the entrance on the floor. The man’s dark hair flung over his eyes, making him look like a large monster as he hobbled to his feet. A smile spread across his face as he spoke.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Daniel’s little brat, Davey boy. I thought he didn’t let you off your short, little leash?” He turned his creepy face towards Max and it lit up even more. “Who’s your little friend? Well, no matter. Let’s have some fun guys!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't kill me, please? Again thanks for being so patient with this chapter. I love you guys so much :D <3 <3 <3 <3


	12. We're saved?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They had let that horrible man into the camp and he had killed so many of the kids and Gwen.  
> “What are we going to do Nancy? I think,” He paused. “I think that man has Max.” Nancy patted his leg, trying to give as much comfort as she could. It wasn’t much, but what else could she do?  
> “I don’t know, Jasper. But, “She paused, as though she wasn’t sure if she should continue. “I was thinking. Do you think, since he took Max, I mean,” She took a deep breath. “Do you think he took David? My sister’s baby?” Jasper stared at her hard. If she had asked him a yesterday he would had called her delusional. That baby was probably dead. At least, that’s what he used to think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this chapter! <3 Also the chapter update thingie was being weird with my chapter, so if things look weird please tell me. I tried to fix it :3

S***. Davey is totally traumatized now. Daniel is going to kill me. Those are the only thoughts running through Max’s head as he stares at the creepy dude that had ahold of Davey’s arm. Davey was full out crying now. Big glob like tears fell down his plump cheeks and he sniffled his nose.  
“Please.” Davey stared, but a sob interrupted his words before he could finish his plea. The man laughed, a scar on his cheek stretching as he did so. It made him look even more terrifying. Max saw a gleam of a knife in his hand, and panic filled him.  
“Okay man, just let David go and we can just forget this whole, stupid thing even happened, okay?” He knew he must have sounded panicked and whinny, but he just wanted to go home. He would take the annoying campers or even his parents who hated his guts over the insanity that was this place. If he stayed here, he was gonna die. Either by this man, someone else, or Daniel. The man just laughed more and tightened his grip on Davey, causing him to cry out even louder.  
“I’ve been wanting to hurt this little brat forever. Not fair of Daniel to have a little pet, when the rest of us can’t. What, just cause he’s the boss’s favorite.”  
“Just stop it! You’re hurting him, you b******!!!” Max ran towards the man, his fists raised, and started beating on his leg. The man brought the knife he had, high into the air and brought it down hard.  
Back at the camp, Nancy and Jasper were sitting together. The three children who had survived were taken to the hospital, but not before a single name was whispered.  
Daniel.  
They had let that horrible man into the camp and he had killed so many of the kids and Gwen.  
“What are we going to do Nancy? I think,” He paused. “I think that man has Max.” Nancy patted his leg, trying to give as much comfort as she could. It wasn’t much, but what else could she do?  
“I don’t know, Jasper. But, “She paused, as though she wasn’t sure if she should continue. “I was thinking. Do you think, since he took Max, I mean,” She took a deep breath. “Do you think he took David? My sister’s baby?” Jasper stared at her hard. If she had asked him a yesterday he would have called her delusional. That baby was probably dead. At least, that’s what he used to think.  
“I think,” He let out a tired sigh. “I think, maybe, he did. I’m not sure though.” He stood up and offered his hand towards her. “I have a plan. I very, very stupid plan, but, it’s a plan.” She smiled a watery smile at him and took his hand in her. Together they walked back to Jasper’s little cabin he had tucked away in the woods. It took a long time to walk there, but it helped to clear both of their heads. Once they got inside, they both started to plan their next move. They were going to find their kids, even if it killed them.  
Back with David and Max  
The knife swung through the air, straight for Max’s head. Davey’s crying was abruptly cut off as flew from the man’s hand. It landed a few feet from the trio with a harsh clang. Once he was free, Davey ran to Max and flung his arms around him. Max pulled his face into his neck. Davey didn’t need to see any of these, but Max? He couldn’t look away. The man swung around, his fist raised in the air. Before it could make contact with anything, a knife was flung into his knuckles, hitting down to the bone. The scream he let out was the worst thing that Max had ever heard. Even so, this meant that he and Davey were going to be okay. Just as he thought this, the man’s head was removed from his body. It rolled to a stop at the feet of none other than Daniel. He held up a bloody knife, great big globs dripping from it. The smile he wore was the widest yet and his eyes shown a neon blue color.  
“Max? I think we need to have another talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These types of scenes are hard to write *sweatdrop* I hope I did a good job. As always, please leave likes, comments and kudos!! Love you all!


	13. Punishments and findings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “First,” Daniel starts, turning to face Max. “I had one, ONE, main rule. It was very simple. Do. Not. HURT. MY. DAVEY!” A smack rang out in the large room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry for the delay on this chapter. I have no excuse lol I hope you all enjoy

After Daniel returned to the leaving room from tucking a sniffling Davey into bed, Max watched as he paced in front of him. The sweat poured down his back as he set on the plush set with nerves filling his insides. 

“First,” Daniel starts, turning to face Max. “I had one, ONE, main rule. It was very simple. Do. Not. HURT. MY. DAVEY!” A smack rang out in the large room. Max sat staring off into the distance, a shocked look on his face. He slowly raised a hand to his cheek, the skin-stinging. He slapped him! Daniel had slapped him! Before he could process what was happening, Daniel had him by the arm and was dragging him towards a small door near the bookshelves. All the while he could hear the cries of David from the other room. 

“How about you spend some time alone in solitary, huh? I’ll come visit you in a few hours, maybe. You can spend some time with our guest.” Max gave him a confused look right before he was shoved through the door. Daniel shoved him towards the ground and latched a chain around his ankle. 

“So you can’t and won’t get any ideas about trying to get out.” Daniel smiled a dark smile and shut the door. Max looked around the room he had been thrown into. It was small, with rows and rows of knives and things like that lining the walls. In the corner, deep in the darkness, set a lone figure.

“You!” Max shouted as he pointed. He KNEW that guy. “You’re the quartermaster! What the h*** are you doing here?!” The old man sat in his chair, covered head to toe in blood. Max raised his eyebrow at the display. “How the crap are you even still alive? That’s a lot of blood.” The quarter Master simply raised his shoulders the best he could. 

“Made a deal with some spookums. They won’t let me die.” His eyes narrowed as he spoke. “Not yet.” 

Back with Jasper and Nancy

The pair were sitting beside each other, pouring over documents.

“Listen,” Jasper said. “I know this sounds far-fetched, but I think that, maybe, someone took your nephew.” At Nancy’s perplexed look he continued. “I’ve been doing some research on that Daniel guy from camp.” At Daniel’s name, Nancy took a shuddering breath. 

“While I was, I found this photo.” He handed her a small Polaroid photo. On it, a young, blonde man stood, holding a red headed baby. The man was very young, but there was no denying who he was.

Nancy’s eyes widened as she took in the photo. She ran her fingers across the face of the baby. His bright red hair and adorable freckles stood out against the harsh white and old-fashioned baby dress that he had been dressed in. her sister would never have put her baby in something so…clinical. Tears poured down her face as she spoke.

“That’s him. That’s my sister’s baby. That evil, terrible man took my sister’s baby!” Jasper took her hand in his.   
“We are gonna find him. Don’t worry Nancy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked this chapter. Sorry, it was so short. I just really wanted to post a new chapter XD


	14. One of them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “there we go. Now, that’s gonna burn a bit. Once you stop screaming I will turn on the educational video.” Max’s eyes grew wide at his words.
> 
> “Screaming? What the- “His words were cut off as a warm sensation started to spread from his shoulder to the rest of his body. Soon the warmth became burning and the burning became unimaginable. As he screamed in pain Daniel stood to the side, the smile ever present on his face. The only thing that Max was able to think was.
> 
> I’m going to f****** become one of them.

Max had been sitting in the dark room with the Quarter Master for hours. Eventually, he fell asleep and was woken by the sound of Daniel calling his name. 

“Okay, Maxie boy! David has been asking for you all night.” The wide smile that was on his face upon his arrival fell as he mentioned the child’s name. “The poor thing. He had nightmares all night long. He wanted you to be there to comfort him, being his new brother and all. But I was there for him, so don’t you worry a hair on your fluffy little head.” 

As he spoke he grabbed Max by the shoulder and steered him away from the room. Max looked back as he was roughly handled and stared at the old man still in the room. The door slowly swung closed behind them, hiding the man from his view again. 

“Me and you, Max, are going to go up to Davey’s room. It’s time for his lessons and today you will be starting the same lessons as him.”

“Oh, yeah? And what the h*** kind of lessons are those?” Max crossed his arms, but his eyes darted to and froe. His nerves were shot. He didn’t want to admit it, but the entire situation the night before had traumatized him. He was starting to except that he might not ever get home again. Eventually, they reached little Davey’s room. A faint talking could be heard behind the door. It sounded like a feminine voice and that confused Max. Besides Davey, Daniel and the man from the other night, Max had not seen hide nor tail of another human being where he was. He heard no noises, no dogs barking, no meowing. It was jarring to hear someone else after so long.

As the door swung open into Davey’s room, the two were greeted by David sitting at a small desk and a blond women standing over him, pointing towards a very old looking book. Max gasped as he laid eyes on her. She looked exactly like Gwen, but with lighter skin and blonde hair. At his gasp, she turned around and smiled just as wide as Daniel. 

“Well, hello there. You must be Max. I’m Jen David’s new big brother.” She reached out a hand and patted his curly hair. “Take a seat and we can start our history lesson.” Daniel led him to his seat, directly to the right of Davey, and forced him to set. “Today we will be talking about the beginnings of Xemog.” At this, Davey gave a high-pitched whine and Daniel and Jen laughed.

“Come one Davey.” Daniel said, “Max doesn’t know this stuff yet and we need to educate him.” He ran a large hand down Davey’s red hair in a loving pet. Davey huffed but excepted the reasoning and opened his book. Jen sat the same book in front of Max and told him to open it to chapter 3. She then went on a long rant about how amazing Xemog is and how he ruled the world before man.

In the beginning, only he reigned. He cast out all the evildoers of the galaxy and kept the terrible toxins in space. This, he reasoned, would keep the peace for no evil should be allowed to live. 

Now it came to pass that after 100 years of purity and peace, a single planet was formed and on it, humankind. These humans were evil and vile. They murdered stole and committed false testimonies towards brotheren.

Eventually, the great Xemog could no longer stand the arrogance and evil. He created his own humans and sent them to live among the others. He called them his children and promised them ascension to the high Heavens with him in space.

He called his children to purify and ascend the evil doers. This would kill the evil toxins of the world and help those who were pure, few and far between as they be. 

“That’s people like you David.” Both Jen and Daniel said this with passion and awe in their voices. There was a reason, after all, that the others had chosen to let David remain on Earth and not ascend him. He was pure and innocent. Max realized this as he looked back and forth from David to the adults. Once again, he was reminded just how messed up they were and just how much trouble they were in. 

Jen turned to him while he was deep in thought. “And you, child. You may not be pure, but stay with Davey long enough and that will change. We are going to turn you into the greatest disciple of Xemog there has ever been. You only need one other thing though.” Daniel appeared behind her suddenly, a syringe in his hand.   
“You need to be purified and taught the ways of happiness.” He said. “We are going to give you this little shot and after that, you are going to watch a little movie. Davey, in the meantime, will be finishing up his studies with Jen.”

“Oh, H*** no!” Max shouted and mad to run for the door. Before he could get very far, however, Daniel once again grabbed him.

“Now, none of that. Come with me, young man.” He was marched down the stairs and into what looked like a basement. Just how many secret rooms does this place have?   
“here we are, buddy boy.” Daniel smiled larger than he ever had before as he opened the door. He pushed Max down in a chair and wrestled with him until he could get his small wrists into two small cuffs. Max fought with all his might, but he was but a child and was no match for the adult. 

“Now, hold still.” Daniel laughed at his words, knowing full well Max couldn’t go anywhere and took the syringe out. It was filled with a bright purple liquid and he shot it directly into Max’s shoulder. 

“there we go. Now, that’s gonna burn a bit. Once you stop screaming I will turn on the educational video.” Max’s eyes grew wide at his words.

“Screaming? What the- “His words were cut off as a warm sensation started to spread from his shoulder to the rest of his body. Soon the warmth became burning and the burning became unimaginable. As he screamed in pain Daniel stood to the side, the smile ever present on his face. The only thing that Max was able to think was.

I’m going to f****** become one of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for being patient with me, guys! My senior art show went amazing btw and in one month, imma graduate college! Whee!!!


	15. Mind Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The video went on and on and on. Images of children being murdered, of poisons being mixed into drinks, and animated drawings of the souls of children and adults alike being “cleansed”. It was horrible and it lasted for hours. By the time Daniel came back, Max had drool pulling from his mouth and his eyes glowed a bright red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the patience while I tried to organize life. There is a long list of reasons why I did not get to update, but I won't bore you. I hope you enjoy this chapter :3

The video went on and on and on. Images of children being murdered, of poisons being mixed into drinks, and animated drawings of the souls of children and adults alike being “cleansed” and sent up to Xemog himself. It was horrible and nasty and it lasted for hours. By the time Daniel came back, Max had drool falling from his mouth and his eyes glowed a bright red from exhaustion. 

“So, Maxey boy? Did you learn anything today?” Daniel asked as he unlocked Max from his chair. He smiled as Max let out a groan and chuckled. “Now tell me, what is it that we do here?” Max blinked slowly and rubbed his eyes. His head felt heavy and his mind felt like someone gave him a lobotomy. He answered without thinking.

“we,” He started, “We are here to kill- clean the poor souls that live here on Earth.” Daniel smiled wide, his neck cracking as he turned it.

“That’s right Max! Now,” He paused, his eyes growing dark before starting again. “Tell me. Why is it so important to protect our little David, hmm?” Max’s eyes snapped to Daniel’s and in a small voice spoke.

“He is the purest soul on this planet. No one is like him and no one will ever be.”

“And why do we need him?” He urged the small child.

“He is going to make the world better. He is going to be raised to rule this world. No matter what the leaders say.” Max seemed to get excited the more he talked. As though he really believed what he was saying. Daniel smiled at the answer. It pleased him. It was nowhere near specific enough, but it was a start. He had his own plans for the future and no matter what the leaders of members of the council say, David was important and he was going to rule them all. There was no way he was going to purify his son.

He patted Max on the head and herded him back towards his and Davey’s room, tucked him into bed and closed the door. 

Back with Jasper and Nancy, the two adults were desperately trying to find some form of clue as to where Daniel had run off to. While he was a wanted man, no one, not even the police knew where the man had gone or anything about him. It was as though he had dropped off the Earth just as suddenly as he had appeared. He left no clues behind, other than taking Max with him and that wasn't much of a clue. No papers, no scraps. Nothing. 

“Nancy?” Jasper started in a timid voice. “Tell me about David when he was born. What happened?” He was curious. She never talked about what happened, other then to occasionally show people her one photo of David. The redhead sighed and sat back from the box of camp paperwork and her own memorabilia she was going through. 

“There’s not that much to tell really.” She stared off into the distance, remembering. “He was a small baby. My sister, Barbra, thought that he was stillborn at first, that maybe he had died in the womb and she hadn’t realized. He never moved much in her womb.” She stopped to wipe tears away. “I got to hold him, once. The day before he was stolen away. My sister was living with me because her dead-beat husband had left them for some small blonde in New Jersey. Barbra was so tired from taking care of the baby all day that I told her to go sleep while I fed the baby. He was a little angel. So pure and quiet. He never made much of a fuss. After I fed him, I put him down in his little, white crib. His whole room was white, angel themed. After that, I went to bed. When I woke up, Barbra was dead, and he was gone. She must have gone to check on him in the middle of the night. I’m not sure. All I know is, one moment they were happy and with me and the next, I was alone with my sister bleeding out at my feet. She had been stabbed in the heart. The only thing he left behind was a single note, but I have no idea what we did with that. It's in this mess somewhere.”

Jasper patted her hand and turned, letting her set silently. He did not want to cause her any more pain. Lifting up a small book from the box he was going through, he jolted suddenly when a jagged dagger and a small piece of paper fell out of a solid white box. 

“What in the world is this?!” He gasped. Nancy looked up, away from her memories and jolted herself away from the pain that they brought.

“Oh, that? It was left in a note from the kidnapper, years ago.” Jasper clutched the note to himself, hope in his eyes. He fished out the letter that he had Daniel write upon hiring him, his resume. The writing was almost exactly the same. He had a plan.

“Nancy. I think I know what to do.”


	16. What happened to the old me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “D-father,” he started annoyed that he found he could no longer say Daniel’s name for some reason, “What will happen if they say no?” He gritted his teeth. Great, now he couldn’t even talk the way he usually did. Everything came out polite and proper.   
> Daniel smiled an evil smile and Max instantly knew that the older man knew what was wrong with him. After all, he was the cause.   
> “Why, Max. If they say no, well, you will be given the highest honor there is.” Davey smiled as he heard this and Daniel smooth his hair back in affection. “Ascension.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I haven't posted for so long. I have been really sick and had a lot of doctor appointments and now my doctor says I might have to have surgery on my stomach maybe and it's been kind of hectic. I am very very sorry though. Anyways, I did not get to edit much because I have another appointment in a little bit, but here is the new chapter. Thanks so much for being patient with me

Max blinked his tired eyes as he woke up atop his, or should he say David’s other, bed. He didn’t remember going to bed or really much of anything that had happened the night before. He remembered being tied down and being forced to watch something or listen to something or…. something. All he really remembered is he didn’t like it. He sat up, his head spinning and that’s when he heard the most musical sound. He shook his head confused. He knew that sound. It was the sound of David playing with Daniel in the room over. He had heard it before, so why did it sound so different now? 

A few images flashed before his eyes, but they were too fast for him to tell what was going on. He was so confused. It’s true that he had a soft spot for the innocent boy being used by his so-called father, but he had never felt such a need to protect him before. Now, just after only hearing his laugh, it filled him with the need to protect Davey at all costs. Max shook his head one more time. There was something wrong with him today, he just couldn’t figure it out. 

“Max! Oh, Max!” The song like voice called his name and the feeling resurfaced. He turned to Davey a smile breaking out on his face and froze. A smile? Max did NOT smile. He never smiles. What the H*** was going on?! It was like someone else had taken control of his body as he ran towards the small boy and enveloped him in a hug. Davey let out a squeak of surprise, not expecting the physical contact but smiled and returned the hug none the less.

“Daddy said that you and him had a talk last night, but I didn’t believe that you were actually likening it here. Guess I was wrong about that.” Davey hugged him harder and again let out a laugh that sounded like an angel’s voice to Max. “Does this mean you finally want to be my new big brother, Max?” There was so much hope in his voice. Even so, Max wanted to shake his head and scream “No! I want to go home! I want to see my friends again and stay at that stupid camp again!” But all that came out was a small:

“You bet Davey. I finally realize now how precious you are. I want to be with you forever and ever! I promise I will be the best big brother you ever had.”   
Tears started to pour from Max’s eyes. Not from sadness but from terror and sheer frustration. He didn’t understand or remember what had happened last night, but he knew, he knew that Daniel had done something to him and he was going to get even. As he and Davey walked towards the back of the house, a small noise brought his attention to the small flower bed growing in the window pane. There, Daniel stood watering the flowers, looking entirely too innocent for his own good. It burned Max up inside, that he couldn’t break out of whatever the crap was going on with him so he could smack the life out of the stood idiot before him.

“Well, look at you two boys,” Daniel said as he turned around. “You two are really looking like brothers now. I’m glad our little…discussing went well last night, Max” The pause didn’t go unnoticed by Max and he narrowed his eyes at the man. 

“I have great news for you boys, today,” Daniel said as he leads them over to a small table near the front door. “The church elder is coming over today. We are finally going to see if Max can live with us forever and ever and ever!” Dread filled Max as he heard this, but the smile stayed on his face as Davey smiled and shouted “Hooray” as he hugged him. 

“D-father,” he started annoyed that he found he could no longer say Daniel’s name for some reason, “What will happen if they say no?” He gritted his teeth. Great, now he couldn’t even talk the way he usually did. Everything came out polite and proper. 

Daniel smiled an evil smile and Max instantly knew that the older man knew what was wrong with him. After all, he was the cause. 

“Why, Max. If they say no, well, you will be given the highest honor there is.” Davey smiled as he heard this and Daniel smooth his hair back in affection. “Ascension.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, don't forget Kudos and comments help me ascend


End file.
